One of the biggest recent surprises in the world of horror films was the nunsploitation (what an ugly term, I know) film Saint Maud (2019), the debut work of writer and director Rose Glass. Praised by critics and audience, the film is described as “a chilling and boldly original vision of faith, madness, and salvation in a fallen world”, and called an “exquisite religious psychological thriller”. Even acclaimed director Danny Boyle had words for Saint Maud (2019) calling it “a genuinely unsettling and intriguing film. Striking, affecting, and mordantly funny at times, its confidence evokes the ecstasy of films like Carrie (1976), The Exorcist (1973), and Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin (2013)“.
There, but for the grace of God, goes Maud, a reclusive young nurse whose impressionable demeanor causes her to pursue a pious path of Christian devotion after an obscure trauma. Now charged with the hospice care of Amanda, a retired dancer ravaged by cancer, Maud’s fervent faith quickly inspires an obsessive conviction that she must save her ward’s soul from eternal damnation – whatever the cost.
This psychological thriller, which has seen film festivals around the world by the hand of A24, is starred by Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle, Lily Frazer, Fiona Thompson, Turlough Convery, Noa Bodner, Lily Knight, Rosie Sansom, and Marcus Hutton.
After its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2019, and a long run on the most important genre film festivals, Saint Maud (2019) was nominated for the Outstanding British Film of the Year and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer awards at BAFTA Film Awards 2021. Also, it collected a long list of awards including Best Cinematography and the Douglas Hickox Award at British Independent Film Awards, DFCC for Breakthrough Artist (Morfydd Clark) at Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards, Best Film at London Film Festival, and many nominations including the New Visions Award for Best Motion Picture at Sitges Film Festival.
Now we have learned that the movie is scheduled for a release on Amazon Prime and Hulu on May 13, 2021.
Here you can watch the official trailer for Saint Maud (2019).
